The judge says that the alleged victim, Sheldon Stephens, 25, waited too long to file court papers, so the sexual abuse lawsuit against Elmo Puppeteer Kevin Clash, 54, has now been dismissed. This was the last remaining lawsuit against him. Clash has made history and changed the lives of many by voicing the character Elmo from ‘Sesame Street’.

Stephens once claimed that Clash had a relationship with him when he was 16 after meeting him at a networking event. He says that the relationship became sexual for many years. He claimed the lawsuit against Clash back in 2012. Three other men also filed suits against Clash, and those too where thrown out as well because the statute of limitations had expired. These suits led Clash to resign as the puppeteer for Elmo, which he had done for 28 years. Clash’s spokesman stated, “Kevin is gratified that once again the courts have dismissed the claims against him. We believe we are finally at the point as a team where we can begin to turn our full attention to restoring Kevin’s personal and professional reputation.”